Social Evolution and the Church

One of the most prominent distinctives of 21th century American culture is our rugged individualism. Our relative wealth and political freedom has given us the luxury of having to rely little on others. Give me a cell phone and a Visa card and I can accomplish the impossible! This attitude has permeated nearly every aspect of American life, the church being no exception.

As a result we have stratified our social interactions. We have our church friends, our work friends, friends from the gym, and friends from our children's activities. Then it seems we try as much as possible to segregate each group. Our lives are arranged around our life's "programs", and we dare not try to mix them. Why is this so?

This paradigm for social interaction and daily living stands in stark contrast to 1st century Palestine. The cultural fabric of that time was interwoven; religious life, rather in Judaism or early Christianity was integrated with secular life. We see a history of interdependence, not independence. Community was vital as opposed to optional.

Do we as a society embrace our social evolution or do we just accept it? What effect does this have on the Church? Should we try to change anything? If so, what?

The New Testament Church

Well, I've been searching for the New Testament church and I found her. I think. Maybe. Perhaps. However, you will need a time machine to find her. Or a Bible. She is firmly embedded in the time and culture of the 1st century. I just do not believe it is possible to re-create the New Testament church that we find in Scripture.

To actually recreate the New Testament church, we would have to re-create 1st century culture. I don't believe you can separate the Biblical record from the time and culture in which it was written. That is not to say we should not take the principals and elements we see in Scripture and incorporate them into our church experience. In fact, I believe that is precisely what we must do. But in actual practice, how is that going to look?

We need to build personal, one on one relationships. We also need to rebuild our sense of community and service. We need to practice all the ''one anothers'' of Scripture . I could go on and on...

I am just starting to unpack some of these ideas which I hope to attempt to explore further in subsequent posts. Happy New Year!

Meeting Together

For about two months now the group of Christians I meet with has been meeting together three times a week. We meet on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Our Sunday meeting resembles what most would recognize as a traditional Protestant style meeting which I describe here. We have been shifting towards a style of meeting that more resembles what you see in I Corinthians 14. Gone is the church bulletin. The teaching style has become less preaching and more teaching. But the order of service is almost identical every week.

Out Tuesday meeting is almost entirely focused on prayer. Prayer of all types. And we like to sing songs. We also have a short teaching, either reading directly from Scripture or something somebody has brought. What is unique about these meetings is that we have people regularly attend that have never been to our Sunday meetings. These meetings are almost entirely led by the Holy Spirit.

Our Thursday meeting is devoted to Bible Study. Currently we are engaged in a topical study on spiritual warfare. And yep, we sing songs as well. We also have people attend that do not attend our Sunday meetings. Both our Tuesday and Thursday meetings are very informal. Some folks dress up on Sunday, while others don't. I don't, but that's another post. Our Bible study follows a structure similar to what you would expect to find in a classroom. However, we sit in a circle-- relaxed, informal yet structured.

Of all the different ways we meet, our Tuesday meeting that focuses on prayer seems to me the most essential, the truest expression of Church. If I could only attend one meeting a week, this would be it. I don't mean to imply that the other ways we meet aren't important. Every meeting is important. Each meeting has a primary focus that is critical for the Church to grow as a body. My view of what is really important for the Kingdom of God has shifted, I believe permanently.

How I "Do Church" (Short Version)

I really love the church I attend and I love the people in it. We have diversity in culture, age, education and background. Some have been Christians all their lives, others are new converts. Folks come from a variety of prior traditions. Our congregation is small, and I like it that way. Everybody has the ability to know everybody's business, and I believe that is a good thing. We have been growing and we want to continue to grow, but at the Lord's pace.

We have a one hour period of teaching and discussion (Sunday school), followed by praise, worship, prayer and some of the best preaching I have ever witnessed. We take turns leading the service, reading from and expounding on Scripture. We are all not at the same place as Christians or as a Church this year as last. We have all grown considerably, moved forward. And I believe we will continue in that growth.

We meet in a school building every Sunday morning/afternoon. We are currently searching and praying for a new place to hold our weekly Bible study and prayer meeting. A person would feel equally comfortable wearing jeans and a teeshirt or a suit and tie. Our service is focused on the person of Jesus Christ. We are a non-denominational, Bible believing, New Testament Church.